Tehom - The Merciless Light

H.P Lovecraft fans rejoice! I have yet another band for you whose music is inspired by the themes of the renowned author.

Active since 2010, the Swedish brutal and relentless Death Metal force TEHOM have released two pieces of material so far - one of them being their 2011 demo entitled “The Merciless Light” and a full-length album of the same name in 2017. What puts TEHOM aside from all those regular Swedish bands is the fact that they don’t get too caught up in trying an old school sound, and instead simply strive for a sound of abnormal brutality and massive rawness.

“Absorbed into the Will of the Great Destroyer” is the opening track, and it starts off with creepy noises (as one would expect) that kind of stimulate the atmosphere; some old languages can be heard too, following which the music gets unleashed upon us without any warning. Being that only two members lead the band, “Fredrik Helgesson” on all of the instruments, and “Master of the Watery Depths” on vocals, this is a solid project. I pretty much head all instruments and enjoyed the overall dark atmosphere. The entire record is pretty much focused on creating a sound of pure emptiness, leading one to the conclusion that fans of HPL such as I will definitely enjoy this band. The vocals are a bit raw and kind of Black Metal-ish, but still pretty much on the Death Metal side. Nothing sounds repetitive, everything has a catchy vibe to it, and I like the fact that some Thrash influences can be heard in there too; which is rare, and occurs only from time to time. “The Smoldering Vessels” is the second track, and it continues where the first one left off with good bass and overall great drumming and hellish guitar riffs; and let’s not leave out the vocals too which are pretty brutal.

Being that this is the band’s debut, it’s an album that will blow you away with its seven sick tracks!

Songwriting: 10Originality: 8Memorability: 8Production: 9

Tracklist:

1.Absorbed into the Will of the Great Destroyer2.The Smoldering Vessels3.Faith from Water4.Hearth of Perdition5.With Patience and Faith6.Tehom Invocation7.Voices from the Darkside